Analyzing wastewater can help officials estimate how prevalent the virus is in a community and which variants are circulating.
Author: Emily Anthes
For Coronavirus Testing, the Nose May Not Always Be Best
As Omicron spreads, some experts are calling for a switch to saliva-based tests, which may detect infections days earlier than nasal swabs do.
Scientists Are Racing to Gauge the Threat of Omicron
The variant will spread quickly through the United States, experts say. What happens after that is less certain.
Omicron Is a Dress Rehearsal for the Next Pandemic
America’s response to the variant highlights both how much progress we have made over the past two years — and how much work remains.
The World Is Unprepared for the Next Pandemic, Report Says
The latest Global Health Security Index finds that no country is positioned well to respond to outbreaks.
Why Didn’t the U.S. Detect Omicron Cases Sooner?
Genomic surveillance has improved enormously in recent months, but the system has built-in delays, and blind spots remain.
Why Hasn’t the U.S. Found More Omicron Cases?
Genomic surveillance has improved enormously in recent months, but the system has built-in delays, and blind spots remain.